The Epic Arcane Trickster - Ro(10),Wiz(7),AT(10),NN(3)
Description Rogue 10, Wizard 7, Arcane Trickster 10, Neverwinter Nine 3 This is an example of an Epic Arcane Trickster. Pros * 13d6 sneak attack damage * Level 9 spells. * Will *never* miss with range attack spells; play with Reeron's spell fixes the excellent sneak attack damage stacks with ranged and touch attack spells making this build *much* more powerful. 23d6 Vampiric Touch anyone (with no save!)? * Near max or very high thief and diplomacy skills. * Perfect Two-Weapon Fighting gives 8 attacks by 30th level. Cons * BAB of 18 not so good so buff up before combat and hit 'em from the back. * Non-specialized spell school DC ok but not great so best to stick to spells in your school where possible. * Without Feint cannot tank effectively; Impromptu Sneak Attack helps but not as much as Feint. * Horrible fortitude save, see notes below. The main goals of this build are: 1). Maximize sneak attack damage and reach Epic Precision asap. 2). Maximize arcane spellcasting power. 3). Maximize important skills such as Disarm Device, Open Lock, Tumble, Use Magic Device, Diplomacy, Concentration and Spellcraft. 4). Attain Perfect Two-Weapon Fighting asap. It's a very fun build to play as you are near a pure-thief in your abilities and a pretty decent spellcaster. Download Reeron's spellpack in order to unlock the real power of this build; sneak-attack ranged spells. With such a high dex you will *never* miss and with the high sneak attack damage and Epic Precision you will cripple most enemies instantly (remember most ranged-touch spells have NO save). BAB is close to a pure thief with Greater Heroism and Cat's Grace to enhance your prowess beyond what even they can achieve. Sneak attack damage is crippling; maxing out at 13d6 only 2d6 less than a pure thief's. Fortitude save is horrible however there are plenty of magic items that give immunity to poison, disease, death magic and the like. You will need to stock up on these or you will be doing a lot of dying. I specialized in Necromancy for the bonus spell that specialist get and because the Necromancy touch spells work well with this build. Flame Arrow is real nice too. This build is great for getting around behind people and dishing out the sneak attack damage multiple times a round and can tank in a pinch with Impromptu Sneak Attack but without Feint can't do it for long. The 6th level of Wizard is necessary to reach BAB 11 early enough to take Greater Two-Weapon Fighting prior to Epic levels (so you can reserve your Epic Feat for, well, Epic Feats!). The 7th level of Wizard is necessary to reach full 9th level spellcasting (effective caster level 21 with Practiced Spellcaster) and to grab an Epic Level spell (Vampiric Feast if you are a Necromancer). Post 27th level you could ditch the NWN and take more Wizard or Rogue levels instead or even go Eldritch Knight. More Wizard levels would gain you Persistent Spells feat while more Rogue levels would get you another Epic Rogue feat. You could also burn a feat and take Martial Weapons which would allow you to take Eldritch Knight instead. I like the +10% movement, high BAB, 2d6 sneak attack and Aura that NWN grants you at level 3 though. You could also swap out Perfect Two-Weapon Fighting for the Persistent metamagic feat. You would only lose that last off-hand attack which has a pretty poopy AB in return for +1 to hit, +1 dodge AC and another attack at max AB. Of course if you keep P2WF you an still cast extended haste on yourself and hence end up with 9 attacks and get the +1 AB, +1AC but it won't last all day.... Play Hints Buff up with Shadow Shield, Cat's Grace, Greater Invisibility, Greater Heroism and Mirror Image. Run around behind the enemy and hit 'em while they are running towards your tank (the Greater Invisibility keeps you hidden). Wail on them with 8 attacks per round with +13d6 sneak damage or poke 'em in the back for 13d6 enhanced Vampiric Touch (23d6 damage with NO save...ouchy). Or hide in a corner in the back and do ranged sneak attacks with Flame Arrow, Finger of Death and Avasculate. Spell Suggestions Some ideas on spells that work well for the EAT are included below. Spells with the *r notation are significantly better for an EAT with Reeron's version (usually due to Sneak Attack damage). 1st level: Mage Armor, Shield, Shocking Grasp *r, Sleep, True Strike, (+ free Darkness and See Invisible from Tiefling or Drow race) 2nd level: Bear's Endurance, Blindness/Deafness, Bull's Strength, Cat's Grace, Ghostly Visage, Invisibility, Mirror Image, Scorching Ray *r, 3rd level: Flame Arrow *r, Haste, Heroism, Improved Mage Armor, Magic Weapon Greater, Mass Curse of Impending Blades, Spiderskin, Vampiric Touch *r, 4th level: Assay Resistance *r, Enervation *r, Greater Invisibility, Lesser Missile Storm, Stoneskin 5th level: Bigby's Interposing Hand, Dismissal, Cone of Cold, 6th level: Bigby's Forceful Hand, Disintegrate *r, Ethereal Visage, Greater Heroism, Greater Missile Storm, Greater Stoneskin, Tenser's Transformation *r, Undeath to Death 7th level: Avasculate *r, Dismissal, Mordenkainen's Sword, Shadow Shield, 8th level: Polar Ray *r, Sunburst, Horrid Wilting 9th level: Energy Drain *r, Shades, Wail of the Banshee, Character Creation Progression Table Calculations Unless otherwise mentioned, and for the purposes of calculating AB, AC and damage, assume the following conditions: Equipment * +8 ac item (typically bracers or robe) * Amulet of natural armor +5 * +8 int and dex items * +8 weapon (typically shortsword because Keen Edge works on it) * +5 boots of Sun Soul * Every attack hits. Buffs * Greater Heroism (+4 to hit, +Level x 1 hit points) * Shadowshield (+5 natural AC allows you to ditch Amulet of Natural armor and replace with amulet of health for immunities, 10/ adamantine damage reduction goes a long way). * False Life (+20 hit points) * Greater Invisibility (concealment 50%, enables sneak attacks) * Haste (+1 attack per round) * keen (increases critical threat range of shortsword to 17-20) Fully Buffed Attack Bonus 42 (base 18 BAB) +12 (dex 34) +8 (magic weapon) +4 (greater heroism) +1 (haste) +1 (Epic Prowess) -2 (Perfect Two-Weapon Fighting) -- Main hand: +42/+42/+37/+32/+27/+22 Off Hand: +42/+37/+32/+27/+22 Fully Buffed Armor Class 10 (base) +12 (Dexterity) +8 (bracers of armor) +5 (amulet of Natural Armor or Shadow Shield) +5 (Boots of Sun Soul ac dodge bonus) +3 (Tumble) +1 (Haste) +4 (Shield spell) -- 48 AC Fully Buffed Damage per hit 1-6 (shortsword) +8 (intelligence through combat insight) +8 (+8 weapon) +13d6 (sneak attack damage) -- 30-100 damage (average 65) Average Damage per round 65*10 = 650 Average Damage per round (1 critical) 65*9 + 1*84.5 = 670 category:Character builds category:Arcane Character builds category:Melee Character builds category:Dual Wielding Character builds category:Power Builds category:Arcane Spell Swords